


Love Conquers All and other cliches the Resistance is forced to deal with

by Gechi_gotchu



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Finn is the best boy, Force-Sensitive Finn, Force-Sensitive Leia Organa, Han Solo Lives, Han is everyone's dad except Kylo's, Kylo Ren is Not Nice, M/M, POV Alternating, Possessive Kylo Ren, Protective Poe Dameron, Protective Rey (Star Wars), Rey Needs A Hug, That's Not How The Force Works, This idea was stuck in my head so now it must be posted
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-06-13 02:17:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15354024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gechi_gotchu/pseuds/Gechi_gotchu
Summary: If someone told General Leia Organa that she’d be sitting in the cockpit of Millenium Falcon with her husband and newly returned son, she would’ve asked how they’d seen her dreams. Only in her dreams she was smiling, Han had on that smug grin she’d grown to love, Chewie behind him, Ben would actually answer to Ben, and Luke would be there.In which Kylo comes to the Resistance for Finn and everyone must learn to deal





	1. Love Conquers All

If someone told General Leia Organa that she’d be sitting in the cockpit of Millenium Falcon with her husband and newly returned son, she would’ve asked how they’d seen her dreams. Only in her dreams, she was smiling, Han had on that smug grin she’d grown to love, Chewie behind him, Ben would actually answer to Ben, and Luke would be there. But instead, she held a face of impassiveness, Han looked outright furious and Ben- sorry Kylo Ren- was three seconds from slashing through the ship with his lightsaber, and Luke wasn’t there. 

At least Chewie was behind Han.  

“So,” she started, her eyes flickering between the two men, more like a man and an overgrown teenager, before settling on her son, “Would you like to explain why you are here?” She should be ecstatic, some part of her buried under ten layers of “what the hell” is, but most of her is trying to grasp how her son came to be before her now.

“I’m giving him a chance,” Leia pointedly ignored the growl coming from Han and how Chewbacca made a quick but obvious exit - no one wanted to be involved in a Solo-Organa family squabble, not even the family- as she inclined her head for Be- Kylo to continue, “Finn wants to be a part of you silly rebellion so I’m giving him a chance. When it inevitably fails then he will realize that I was right and we can move past this silly venture,” It takes Leia three seconds to realise her mask had slipped and she let her inner feelings show.

From the one time she met Finn she knew one thing, he was infused with Light. At first, all force-sensitives are grey, maybe leaning towards one side or the other. But Finn, for someone who didn’t even know of his power until she mentioned it, he was deeply entrenched in the Light. Not only that but he was glowing. Finn was a lighthouse, the Light in him pumped out in waves, every feeling, every thought broadcasted. He was a beacon of compassion and warmth, Leia could see why anyone would love the boy. 

But not Kylo.

Kylo who buried himself in darkness, who projected his evil and spite. The same Kylo who had cut down his uncle’s students, who burned the Jedi temple to the ground, who turned away from everything the Light had in favour of the seduction of the Dark. if anything Kylo should want to destroy Finn, but yet…

“You left the First Order for Finn?”

“It’s more of a break, but yes,” not because he wanted to fix whatever he had broken, not because he wanted redemption, he wasn’t even here begging for a type of forgiveness. He was here because he had somehow managed to fall in love with the one force-sensitive Stormtrooper that defected, saved a resistance pilot, found another force-sensitive who in turn found Luke’s lightsaber and his map, found  _ the _ Millennium Falcon and subsequently Han and Chewbacca, and managed to get them all back to D’Qar relatively safe. 

The Force may be the power driving the universe but it owes Leia Organa a drink. 

“I assume I will be staying with Finn.”

Make it two drinks.

“I have to talk to the council before you are even allowed to see Finn again. Defection or not, you were Snoke’s right hand and a fixture of the Order, we can’t allow you to go freely around the base,” Leia settled back and glanced at Han. She was used to him not speaking but this time it was different. It was worse. It was so obvious that he wanted- needed to say something but was holding it back. She quickly thought of the easiest way to ease him into speaking.

“I can hear you thinking from here. Spit it out, thief!”

Kylo Ren: Master of the Knights of Ren and tactful conversation. 

“He doesn’t deserve what you’re doing. If you cared about Finn you’d leave him be,” Han started eyes glaring holes into his son’s head. If the conversation had been less tense, Leia would have remembered to be offended at being left out of whatever was going on. 

“Oh, like you left the Resistance because you obviously love your wife so much right? Don’t lecture me about what you do not understand you selfish-”

“I’m selfish?! You were gonna drag him back to the Order. He had to beg you not to!”

“And I didn’t! We’re here aren’t we?!”

“Enough!” One of the perks of being a Princess turned Senator turned General was a very strong silencing voice. She assessed the situation and rubbed her face in exasperation. Kylo’s hand was already on the hilt of his saber and she saw Han beginning to make a motion for the blaster he kept near the console, “I will talk to the council and we will see what we will do with you, Ben,” she could see her son’s mouth open, ready to correct her but she wouldn’t be a general, or a mother if she didn’t have a good enough glare to make him shut up, “Han, take Rey to Luke.”

She refused to acknowledge why Kylo’s lips quirk in some type of smirk.

“I need transport for a prisoner to the Millennium Falcon,” she said into her comm. Sticking her hand out with another pointed look she felt a bit of relief when she was handed the lightsaber. 

“Will Finn be allowed to see me?” If Leia wasn’t herself she wouldn’t have looked deeper into the question. It wasn’t the words that caught her off guard, she’d been expecting those, but the feeling. All at once Kylo had dropped his walls allowing his need for Finn, his affection, his love, wash over her. It should have been pleasant, but like anything with Kylo it was dark. 

His need was bordering on obsession, his affection suffocating, even his love was dark, possessive. He would burn down the galaxy to get to Finn, Leia knew that much. 

“If he wants to.” 

                                                                                                         XX

_ “Rey! REY!” Han knew he was going in the right direction when he could hear Finn’s screams.  _

_ “TRAITOR!” Han quickened his pace, Chewie behind him asking if he should take the shot when they see Ben.  _

_ Coming upon the small clearing he sees Finn ignite the lightsaber, the glowing blue brightening his teary eyes. The kid looks good, no doubt that the Force is guiding him as he steps up to fight.  _

_ “That lightsaber belongs to me 2187, bring it here so we can get off this planet. You’ve had your fun playing rebel, it’s time to come home,” Kylo said, his saber still ignited.  _

_ “My name is Finn! I’m not going back to the Order! I’m not a ‘trooper anymore!” Han tenses but doesn’t give Chewie the signal to shoot when Ben growls.  _

_ “I rather walk on to the ship with you than having to carry your battered body. You don’t have to be a Stormtrooper, you never have to see war again. I just need you to be with me. I’m doing what’s best for you!”  _

_ Finn charges swinging the saber with controlled randomness. He has no training, no skill, yet he moves the saber with some type of accuracy. Kylo, of course, is better. He blocks the blows but doesn’t swing back as much. Han can tell, he’s not trying to hurt Finn. The two of them are pressed up against a tree, the hiss of red on blue is in the air. He can’t hear them, but soon both sabers retract and Kylo’s arms are around Finn’s smaller frame.  _

“This is a mess,” Han sighs looking up at Leia as he  finished his story. She frowns but shakes her head. 

“This could be good for us. He cares enough about Finn that he didn’t kill him if he did then…” she trailed off taking a sip of her drink, letting the smooth burn of the alcohol slid down her throat, “Maybe being around Finn is good for him.”

“You can’t expect him to just turn around and leave the Darkside because of Finn?” 

“He left Snoke and the Order for him, ‘break’ or not he threw it away so he could be with Finn. We have an opportunity here. The council is only okay with him being on base if he’s monitored and gives up information. That’s why we need Luke,” the force blocking cell they had him in could only do some much at the moment. He couldn’t use the Force but Snoke was powerful, it was possible he could still reach him. Luke would prevent that plus combined with Rey and Finn Kylo couldn’t do much damage if he decided that he wished to return to the Order early. 

“It’s not right to use him like that. We’re supposed to protect people from the Order Leia, not allow them to be used as bargaining chips,” Han crossed his arms, his jaw clenched. It was funny in a way, in such a short amount of time, Han had become protective over Finn, but then again who wasn’t. He was far from naive but at the same time a little lost in a world so unlike the one he’d been forged in.

If the Order got one thing right, it would be their name. Their rigid ranks mandated control and were nothing like the sometimes wild resistance, she still remembered Finn bracing when Poe raised his voice at her like he expected him to be punished. 

“He’s not a bargaining chip, it’s up to him if he wants to do this. I won’t compel him to do anything he doesn’t want to and I will make sure the council doesn’t either,” she finished off her drink, not really caring about using her poised, princess-esque mannerisms as she slammed the drink back. 

“He’ll say yes to anything you ask him to do and you know it,” Han grumbled getting up from his chair. Leia sighed, apparently love conquered all, including deluded tantrum throwing adult sons.  

 


	2. Love is irrational

_FN-2187 was scared. Well, not scared, more like terrified to the point where he thought he was going to shit himself. He’d heard countless stories of legendary tantrums and had known of numerous decommissioned ‘troopers who weren’t worth the amount of bacta it would take to heal their wounds after they had been caught in the crosshairs of a moody Kylo Ren._

_It was sad, he wasn’t even on duty, he had no schedule to blame for the fact that he happened to be in the same hallway, shit, the same section of Starkiller that Kylo Ren had been in. He should’ve known from the smell of hot metal that maybe something was wrong but it wasn’t until a junior officer was thrown into the wall in front of him that he realised what was to happen._

_If Kylo Ren could hurt an officer, someone with a thousand times more worth than any measly stormtrooper, he would definitely have no qualms about killing him. Having been frozen in place, undoubtedly waiting for the glowing blade to cut him down, FN-2187 realised another piece of information as he listened to the sounds of destruction and feral roars from the dark lord._

_Kylo Ren was around the corner._

_Kylo Ren couldn’t_ **_see_ ** _him._

_‘87 let out a sigh of relief, no wonder he hadn’t been killed yet. In his current state, Kylo probably wasn’t using his space voodoo to see if anyone was coming, he could easily turn around and take the long way back to his bunk. Smiling to himself, the ‘trooper turned around and started to walk off. Suddenly a small groan made him freeze in place._

_Fuck._

_“The weak must be culled off, not dragged along,” Phasma’s words echoed in his head. But that didn’t really apply here, did it? Not even Phasma could take on the Supreme Leader’s apprentice let alone some junior officer. Besides he wasn’t dead and Kylo Ren seemed distracted anyway. He could easily get to the man, drag him to the medbay and still be in bed before the day to night shift change._

_Getting down ‘87 crawled slowly towards the officer with all the confidence of a skittish loth-cat. He was a tan-skinned, shorter than ‘87 and a lot less muscular. His arm was bent at an unnatural angle and the smell of blood accompanied the red river that flowed down from the gash on his forehead. His hat was Force knows where and his uniform was ruined beyond what a mending bot could fix._

_Don’t look. Don’t look. Don’t look. There’s nothing for us there, don’t look._

_FN-2187 looked anyway, turning to the right, and gasped when he saw the unmistakable mask looking right back at him. His eyes quickly flew to the still ignited lightsaber, gulping at the way the way his superior twirled it in his hand. He was screwed beyond belief, but that didn’t mean both of them had to die. Doing the only thing that made sense, to him anyway, the stormtrooper crouched down and put two of his fingers to the officer’s neck. His pulse was weak but he was out cold._

_“He’s dead,” ‘87 lied, trying his best to sound monotone. Maybe if he said that, Kylo would just kill him and leave the other man alone._

_“That’s a lie, I can still feel his life force,” the mostly robotic voice said back. If ‘87 wasn’t so terrified he would’ve picked up on the hint of amusement in Kylo Ren’s tone. Well, at least no one can ever say ‘87 didn’t try, “Why didn’t you run?”_

_“Huh? I- I mean excuse me, uh sir?”_

_“I felt you, you could’ve turned around and left him but you didn’t. Do you have a connection to this man?” The kriff did that mean? Stormtroopers had no family and weren’t even supposed to fraternise with each other beyond squad mates. Why would he and an officer..._

_“I’m not fucking him!”_

“Okay, wait. How the fuck does this explain why you’re going to be living with a monster?” Rey asked frowning. Poe had to admit, as...interesting as the story may have been, it didn’t really explain why his favourite defector had to now share a bunk with the man that tortured him.

“I told you it’s a long story,” Finn sighed, “Look he’s-”

“Not that bad?” Rey deadpanned putting one hand on her hip. From her perch against the doorway, she towered over Finn’s sitting form like a disapproving deity. Poe sighed as he laid back on his bunk. It had only been a week since tall, dark, and moody came to the base and as a commander, he at least got to sit in on the meetings. They were brutal, some senators calling for a broadcasted execution, some wanting him to rot in a cell until the end of the war, some just wanting him to be gone, they didn’t care how.

But what remained constant was the very small amount of people in the general’s corner calling for Kylo to be tried in full after the war and be allowed to remain on base and be an informant. It was a hard fought battle and the general had been accused of letting her feelings cloud her judgement They didn’t even have a way to make him agree to anything. In the end, she played her trump card.

Finn.

He had caused Kylo Ren to come back and could compel him to give more information. He had proved his loyalty to the Resistance ten times over, from not killing civilians on Jakku to helping them destroy Starkiller. He broke his conditioning and though some of the Republic officials would argue he couldn’t even be counted as a competent human due to a lifetime of mental torture and propaganda, in the end, Finn was given the almighty duty of babysitter. If he wanted to do it of course.

“Finn, are they forcing you to do this? Be honest with me, are you doing it cause you can’t say no to General Leia?” Poe looked into soft brown eyes, looking for a flicker of fear, guilt or anxiety.

“I want to do it,” Finn whispered tensely, his eyes meeting their gazes no longer.  Poe hated this; when Finn would retreat into himself, afraid that any misstep would result in punishment, “Everyone deserves a second chance, especially when they make an effort to try. He didn’t kill his dad and he chose to come back. Maybe I can do something to help him.”

“Finn! He’s not- you can’t fix him. He’s nothing like you, you don’t have to take care of him because you both defected. Shit, we don’t even know why he defected!” Poe didn’t miss the flash of guilt that came across the other man’s face as Rey fumed, “He’s dangerous and I don’t want you near him. Poe, help me out here.”

“Finn do you truly want to help him?” Finn nodded, “Then go ahead. I’ll support anything you do buddy. Just don’t get hurt,” Poe finished getting up and dragging Rey outside the room.

“Poe what the kriff! You can’t let him do this,” Rey whispered harshly. Her face was a mix between agony and fury. Poe sighed rubbing his hand over his stubble covered face.

“Rey, haven’t you noticed that Finn and Kylo are a little...close,” Rey’s expression changed to confusion, like she’d just heard one of Finn’s jokes about First Order food, “Finn went to see him everyday since he’s been put in the cell and he’s the only one that got him to come back. You were knocked out when he decided to come back, maybe there’s more going on than we know.”

“Are you saying what I think you are? ‘Cause that’s gross,” Rey grimaced, “How would someone as pure as Finn end up with Kylo Ren of all people?”

“I don’t know and honestly I don’t really think I wanna know how Kylo Ren managed to get Finn into his bed-”

“Poe!”

“Okay, maybe not all that. But either way, Kylo has information and Finn can help us get it. It’s not like interrogation is gonna work on a guy that rips people’s memories out of their head,” Poe frowned looking into the room. Finn was staring out of the small port window, the waning light casting an orange hue over his face, “Look, I don’t want him around Ren either but we have to trust him on this. Kylo could’ve killed him on Starkiller, you even said it looked like he was going to kill Han before you and Finn showed up. You guys are gonna bring Skywalker back right? He’ll keep Finn safe but for now, we have to trust Finn’s decisions, he’s not a kid.”

“I don’t like this. It could take months to bring back Skywalker, what about until then?”

“I’ll watch him. I’ll keep him safe, I promise.”

                                                                                                         XX

Poe walked into the cell block, waving at those on guard duty as he passed them. It was a weird part of the base, not really housing anyone or much of anything at all. A terminal and a few guards and even fewer inmates, one of which was in a high caliber cell.

“I need to see Ren alone, General’s orders,” okay so that was a lie but it’s not like anyone would question him. Besides, Leia would probably approve of what he was doing, she was worried enough about Finn that he was currently in her office for lessons in controlling the Force and protecting his mind. This was the only guaranteed time he’d have to Kylo alone anyway as Finn saw him whenever he was able. He was waved in and the other guards on duty quickly walked a good enough distance away that they couldn’t hear whatever was happening.

“What do you want Dameron?” Kylo looked pretty okay for someone who had been in a cell for a week, no doubt thanks to the Resistance being a humane organisation and not strapping prisoners of war to racks and mentally torturing them.

“Aw, no fanfare for your ex-best friend,” he smirked at the pissed off expression he was presented with, “You kinda look good in a cell, it fits with the whole moody sith lord vibe.”

“Are you here to taunt me or do you have something of substance to say? I’m moving out of the cell in two hours so get in your gloating while you can,” something cold hit Poe’s stomach when Kylo smiled at the last part of his sentence. It wasn’t a “hahaha I’m evil and not facing consequences” smirk but more of an “I’m genuinely happy right now look at that” smile. It was small, it was quick, but Poe still saw it.

“What’s with you and Finn?” Poe was never more happy for the thick sheet of transparent duraplast between them because the look on Kylo’s face was something fierce. Poe had never seen a rancor in person but he had no doubt that it looked somewhat like what he was seeing then.

“Leave Finn out of this. He has nothing to do with your problems with me,” it was weird. For a second, shy Ben Solo returned as Kylo’s voice wavered over the sentence.

“He has everything to do with my problem with you. Just answer me, was he your...bed warmer or something, cause I don’t want him to think you actually care about him if you-”

“Are you kriffing deluded!” Kylo snarled, “Do you really think that I would give up my place beside my master for an insignificant bed warmer. I haven’t even- Is that why you’re here? To keep me away from ‘87?”

“His name is Finn, call him that,” Poe said on reflex. He now wished there wasn’t duraplast separating them as he wanted to punch the eye-rolling loser in the face, “Look we don’t trust you-”

“Obviously,” Ren gestured to the cell and the device on his neck.

“But for whatever reason, Finn does. He’s the only reason you’re getting out of this cell and if you hurt him, I don’t care who you’re parents are or what kind of space magic you have, I will find a way to end you,” Poe leaned in, his face as cold as permasteel.

“I would never hurt him. He’s mine and when this stupid rebellion fails, he will be the only one to survive the fallout. Can’t say the same for you Dameron,” Kylo retorted leaning in just as much.

“How did someone like Finn end up with such as ass like you, he doesn’t deserve this and you definitely don’t deserve him,” Poe got up, his chair screeching back at the abrupt force. He pretended not to hear the quip about getting attached to things you can’t have as he left the cell block. If someone like Finn could love- or even like a pile of bantha shit like Kylo then love was truly irrational.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Leave a comment if you wanna!


	3. Love makes us irrational

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey sees Kylo and remembers why she doesn't like him (not that she forgot)

Go to Ahch-To. Find Luke. Become a Jedi. Bring him back. 

Go to Ahch-To. Find Luke. Become a Jedi. Bring him back. 

Go to Ahch-To. Find Luke. Become a Jedi. Bring him back. 

Go to Ahch-To. Find Luke. Become a Jedi. Bring him back. 

If only it were that simple.

Rey sighed as she made her way through the halls of Sector B. It was the less populated sector with slightly bigger rooms reserved for high ranking officials, the few families on base and now her best friend and his pet project. Passing each numbered room it was only a matter of time before she arrived at Finn’s new quarters that he would share with Kylo Ren.

It was a smart choice, keeping them somewhere away from the majority of people, her included, which would rather put a blaster hole in Kylo or see him rot in a cell, and she would have no complaints if Finn didn’t have to live with him.

Finn was a lot of first for Rey. Not only was he one of the first kind humans she’d ever met but he was the first to fight with her, care about her, and returned to his own personal hell to rescue her like they’d been together for years and not a few odd days. He fought ( his boyfriend? Ex-boyfriend? Where they even together like that or was it just mutual feelings? Whatever) Kylo Ren for her sake.

And now she was letting him just live with that guy.

Kylo Ren, a greasy, overgrown, spoiled brat who somehow was born with EVERYTHING and threw it away for power. He had it all, loving parents (who happened to be living legends), a Jedi master uncle (who was also a living legend), and great powers that could be used for good. And somehow he managed to screw all that up and still end up with someone as sweet as Finn. Someone who was basically his antithesis. 

She couldn’t bring herself to ask in the one week she still had at base how Finn ended up with Kylo in the first place. Yes, he tried to explain and she did interrupt but she was angry that her friend tried to compare himself to a monster.

Rey huffed as she rounded the corner and came to the last room of the dead-end hall. The number 157 neatly painted on the door in bright Resistance orange. When Finn was still bunking with Poe, she could just walk in, the door would be locked if they needed privacy, but now that  _ he _ was out, she didn’t think it the same rules applied. 

But then again, Finn was Finn. It was hard to miss the sadness in his big brown eyes and guilt rolled off of him in waves whenever Kylo was mentioned. If she acted like it was a problem, which it definitely was, then she’d make Finn feel worse more than Kylo feel unwelcome. Besides he was still collared and she was going to bring back Luke, so she probably didn’t need to drive home the whole “we don’t like you or trust you” bit.

Getting over herself, Rey pressed the button to open the door and walked inside. The room was spacious, more so than her own room that she shared with Jess Pava but just as sparse with minimum furniture, a large desk that took up most space on the right wall, two chairs, a door to the fresher, which she doubted was any nicer than hers,  and to her mild dismay, one larger bed rather than two small ones. The windows had thick black curtains that shut out the light, making midday look like the dead of night. 

All in all, it was a basic room, missing the homely feel of Finn and Poe’s that would undoubtedly be added when Finn moved in his growing plant collection. 

The room was missing something though, Finn. Rey recounted how she didn’t even feel the Light he pumped out on her way here and cursed herself for not noticing sooner. Instead of Finn there was something else in the room that she abhorred: the floating, meditating, Master of the Knights of Ren. 

“Hello Rey,” he said, his words coming out near monotone but holding a bit of spite. She may have tried to kill him when she woke up and saw him in the Millenium Falcon and she also may have dragged Finn into the seat next to her and away from Kylo, so his bitterness was warranted. He opened his eyes and floated back down from his leavated meditation, trying, Rey supposed, to look somewhat menacing from his position on the floor.

“Where’s Finn?” She asked, words as dry as the planet she grew up on.

“Not here, like you should be. It’s impolite to barge into people’s rooms,” Kylo spit out like the future Jedi left a bad taste in his mouth. A resurgence of gut-wrenching disgust, like the time she smelled bad nuna eggs, came about from Kylo’s words. 

This was his room too.

A room he’d share with Finn.

Now Rey had an abundance of things to say, enough words to fill the volume of the room with her well-placed fury. She could talk until her face morphed from red to purple to blue with air loss and anger. She could scream until her throat caved in, until her larynx clocked out like an overworked mess hall attendant until she was sent to the medbay and put on vocal rest. She would scream her words of hatred, of fear, of how much he didn’t deserve this, how much he didn’t deserve Finn, how much he didn’t deserve any semblance of redemption. 

But she didn’t, instead, she said one phrase.

“One day he’ll realise just how much time he wasted on you.”

Rey believed in her words as much as she believed that her parents were really coming back for her. But all that mattered was the quick flash of satisfying distress on Kylo’s stupid face.

In her smug satisfaction, the kind that coils in your belly, warm and teeming, she almost missed his words,  _ He loves me. He wouldn’t _ .

It sent a shock through her. Like when R2 got mad at her for trying to tinker with his system and zapped her. He sounded so broken- even if for only a moment. The pompous air of false authority and whatever was left of his dignity flickered for just a second. Rey almost felt guilty for the new wave of sweet satisfaction that ran through her veins like a shot of adrenaline. The way his eyes grew softer, the way his cold porcelain expression cracked, they way his lips trembled over every single word. For just a second she broke Kylo. And she almost felt bad.  

Almost.

The weird thing about Finn is that he draws you in. For someone who was raised to be identical and have the bare minimums of personality, Finn was the most genuine person she’d ever met. Sometimes she still saw the soldier in him, the way he’d sit where he could see the whole room. Or when he’d tense under someone’s hand, making a minute motion to throw them off as if he was being attacked before rational thought overcame instinct.

But even with that, Finn always welcomed a new face or a new touch with a big grin and an even bigger hug. He was always first to volunteer for anything whether it be a dangerous mission or an errand for a mechanic. Finn was compassion, he was light and Rey always reached out to the warmth he gave. But right then that warmth was telling her to her to feel bad, to take it back, to apologise even. To say “I didn’t mean that” or “That was rude of me”. It was telling her to be nice to Kylo because it’s what Finn would want, what Finn would do. 

But she couldn’t.

Finn was her friend but Finn was Finn. Finn who grew up with no experience of the outside world that didn’t end with having to burn it down. Finn who could name every species of Naboo but had never seen an ocean until Takodana. Finn who was ripped away from his family in infancy and raised in a system that told him freedom was a lie and they were absolute. 

Finn, whose greatest strength was also his biggest weakness. He was love, he was compassion, he was light, but if living on Jakku taught Rey anything at all it was that not everyone deserved that. Kylo fits in there. 

The worst part of all is that she knew Finn would tell her she was justified in her feelings, that he would never force her to forgive Kylo for anything he’s done. He’d only ask for civility.

So Rey forced down the nagging feeling like the disgusting ration bar Finn gave her (she had to remember to tell Poe to introduce Finn to more foods while she was gone and hide those nasty things from him) and held her ground. She would not apologise, but she would be civil.

“I look forward to destroying you and Skywalker when your precious rebellion goes up in flames. Have fun with that worthless sack,” then again civility went both ways and Kylo was still a huge fucking jerk. 

“I’ll be so relieved when Finn dumps you and we can throw you back in a cell,” Rey growled.

“We both know that won’t happen. Finn loves me,” oh how she wanted to wipe that smirk off his face.

“And you’ve done nothing to deserve it. There’s a reason he left you, all he has to do is see why again,” Rey spits at him through gritted teeth.

“He’s going to chose me over you and you know it. You’re afraid of losing him to me. You’re afraid he’ll lea-”

“Shut up you-” Then it clicks. The pushing, the comebacks, the utter rage she feels. She’s been baited. Anger clouded her judgement and now she could see the games he was playing. He was such a petty little-

Rey left. She had to leave for Ahch-To and Finn wasn’t in there.

XX

_ Rey.  _ Her feet slapped the ground like blaster fire as she goes through the corridor. 

She felt it.

She felt-

She wasn’t sure when she started running, her own quickened breath alerted her to her change in pace as she rounded another corner and barely managed not to crash into a protocol droid. It called her. 

_ Rey, Rey I’m here.  _

It was happy, almost playful.  _ Come find me! I’m over here! _ She ran faster. It was so familiar but so different. The warmth she knew it but it was cold, no cooler. No longer the blinding white light of the midday sun but the hazy glow of the first seconds of twilight.

She felt it.

She saw it.

Brown leather. Black pants. A dazzling smile.  _ Finn _ .

“Rey did you feel it! I called you, I called you with the Force!” Her mind came running in after her, out of breath and slow to pick up on her overloaded senses. The cool air, sun on her skin, the Millenium Falcon before her, Han and Chewie at the door. She didn’t remember when she moved from indoors to outside. 

“I felt it, but I didn’t know it was you,” Rey started. Finn frowned a little, “It’s not like I forgot about you. I just- you were so bright- I mean you are bright- you were warm and now it’s colder and-,” she offered much to Finn’s own confusion.

“I think what she means to say is that you used to broadcast a lot more and that’s what she’s used to feeling,” was Leia there the whole time? Rey nodded dumbly at the explanation. Finn was a reverse black hole, pouring out light but now he glowed like the exterior lights of the base. 

“I learnt to control it, well not like you with the force pulling or anything, but how not to be so open,” Finn smiled. Rey smiled too, hoping it reached her eyes the same way Finn’s reached his. It was good for him to have walls up, to protect his mind, but she couldn’t help but be a little selfish. Being around Finn felt  _ good _ . Like being swaddled in the softest blankets from Coruscant. It was something nice to latch on to and it was still there but not in the near intoxicating amounts she’d gotten used to. 

And she knew who to blame for that.  

“We don’t mean to keep you from your trip Rey, we just came to say goodbye,” Leia said with a smile on her face. Rey usually liked those smiles, but this one was too knowing. Finn stepped up and hugged her, big arms encircling her, hands on her back. She gripped back, arms thrown around his shoulders.

“Be safe, okay?” 

“I’m going to be with a Jedi master, the galaxies greatest smuggler and a Wookie warrior. You’re going to be here with Kylo kriffin’ Ren. You be safe,” Finn’s body vibrated with laughter because he couldn’t see the dire expression on her face. A happy trill accompanied a soft bump on her leg causing her to reluctantly release Finn.

“I’m gonna miss you too BB-8,” she crouched down to pat the droid’s head.

“Are you gonna miss me too or just your other friends?” Poe asked in mock sadness, a grin already seeping through his distraught facade. Rey popped up and wrapped her arms around him as well.

“I may not be force sensitive but I can practically see you panicking. He has a whole base of people behind him, don’t worry too much. Focus on your training and get back to us in one piece.”

“Keep him safe. Kylo is-”

“A vindictive possessive crybaby? I know,” they both snorted with laughter and let go of each other.

“I was going to say an asshole, but that works better,” Rey laughed.

“Rey, may I have a word?” Rey didn’t remember what it was like to have parents, but that sentence made her heart race like she did something wrong and was about to be sent to timeout. Leia walked over and Poe walked away to talk to Finn, an exchange she wished she didn’t have to make.

“I know how you feel. I felt like this when Luke had to go for his own Jedi training, but I guess the situation is reversed now isn’t it?” a wistful smile took up the General’s face, “You love him but you must keep a level head. Use your love to push you forward, not hold you back. Train so you can come back to him but don’t focus on him. He will be here when you return, I promise. It may hurt to leave but it’s necessary. May the Force be with you.”

Rey nodded and gave Finn one last look. 

Go to Ahch-To. Find Luke. Become a Jedi. Bring him back. 

Come back home to Finn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kylo and Finn are officially re-reunited in the next chapter. Leave a kudos and a comment if you wanna, thanks for reading! <3


	4. Love means never having to say you're sorry

_“What’s that one?” FN-2187 asked pointing to a different fruit on the plate. Kylo smiled at the unabashed way his ‘trooper asked questions now. When he first started meeting with ‘87 he could remember the palpable fear and the general embarrassment at asking any question that highlighted the ignorance that came with a stormtrooper upbringing. Now his trooper sat comfortably against his chest, cuddling into his warmth and free to be curious._

_“Do you want to try it? It’s called jogan fruit.” Kylo beckoned for the object causing it to float towards them. He never got over the amazed face of ‘87 when he used the Force, now that he saw it as something he didn’t need to fear. Kylo placed the fruit in the other man’s hands looking at him expectantly._

_‘87 brought the fruit to his mouth, then looked up at him, brown eyes still wide with wonder, but nose wrinkled, “It smells weird.” Kylo let out a small laugh. After years of ration bars, protein paste, and the sterile environment of Starkiller, he wasn’t all that surprised such a sweet scent would be overpowering._

_“The taste may be a bit much then so maybe you’d enjoy something blander?” With a flick of his wrist he moved the fruit out of ‘87’s hands again, using the distraction to lift his lovers chin up and plant a kiss on his lips._

_Kylo smiled looking into soft brown eyes but then they were replaced by a snowy forest floor. His warm, safe quarters gave way to the cold snap of the Starkiller base. ‘87, no it was Finn now, Finn was turned away from him, his stony profile illuminated by the blue haze of the Skywalker saber._

_“TRAITOR!” Kylo screamed. He sighed as he watched himself prepare for the fight. He’d been here many times before, watching and rewatching his fight with Finn. Always on the outside, always ending the same._

_He remembered this, the short fight before Finn convinced him to give the Resistance a chance. His arms swung down, a deadly arc of red following the motion. Blue came up to stop it just before he made contact._

_It was a dance, a game. Swing left, block left. Swing right, block right. Soon he’d have Finn against the tree and his love would start pleading. Suddenly Kylo’s perspective switch, he was no longer watching himself but he was himself. He had Finn pushed against the tree and as he tried to step back but his feet were like durasteel, mounting him to his position. His crossguard dug into Finn’s shoulder with a sickening hiss,making the ex-stormtrooper groan in pain._

_“I hate you! You kriffin madman! They were right about you! They were all right about you!” Finn’s eyes were ice as he yelled in Kylo’s face. It was no longer cold, the tree was now replace with the side of an X-Wing. Kylo’s eyes flickered around, seeing rows of ships. While distracted Finn managed to push him off._

_“How could you!” The deafening roar of war went on nearby, an alarm blaring so close it could have been in his ears. Taking a step back his foot landed in something wet and sticky, the pungent metallic scent telling him exactly what it was._

_At his feet laid Poe, riddled with blaster shots. To his side was Rey, one arm missing and blaster shot to the chest. Close to her laid his mother, a saber stab through the heart. Dead stormtroopers littered all around to decorate what was once a fierce battle._

_“You said you changed! That you wouldn’t hurt my friends! You said you wouldn’t call the Order! YOU LIED TO ME!” Finn’s voice was raw and filled with venomous rage. That’s when Kylo realised it was gone, the light was snuffed out. All that was left was a dark hole where it was supposed to be._

_He tried to speak, to say anything but his mouth refused to open. Instead he got into stance and rushed Finn, his strikes raining down on him. The ex-troop could not keep up, fighting back with everything he had until the saber was knocked out of his hand and he was forced to his knees._

_Kylo swung down, a red slash through the body. It landed in sand, Jakku, and it was now old, wrinkled, Lor San Tekka. He felt it, the newly awakened light near him. He knew it was ‘87, he wanted to look for ‘87. But instead he stopped a blaster bolt in mid air and captured Poe Dameron._

_Walking back to the ship, Kylo looked to the side, but ‘87 wasn’t standing there with a bloodstained mask. Instead he was running. They were running, down the corridors of The Finalizer._

_“Get away! Get away!” The stormtrooper’s voice only expressed pure agony as he tried to run. Kylo ran, his feet dragging with each step as Finn got further and further away. In front of them a light and in that light, Luke Skywalker._

Kylo woke up with a start, his breath ragged. He immediately reached out for Finn’s comforting presence only to be left with nothing but a reminder that he was cut off from the Force. He surveyed the room and took note of a new plant that wasn’t there before as well as the sound of someone right outside the door.

Kylo groaned and flopped back on the bed, Finn would be in any minute and this time there wasn’t anything to separate them. Rising from the bed the man peeled back the curtain and took note of the night sky. His eyes landed on a particular spot that was dark, where the Hosnian system once was. He frowned, Finn probably hated him for that, even if it wasn’t him who did it.

Hearing the door open, Kylo didn’t turn around. No matter how much he wanted to see his trooper, his love, he knew he had to play the long game. Instead, Kylo continued to stare out the window, watching Finn’s reflection.

He looked good. The pants hugged his body attractively, his thighs and ass on full display. The white shirt hid the toned body underneath that Kylo missed and the jacket he wore could definitely be disposed of. He remembered if quite well from his dreams, it was Dameron’s.

“Are you really going to be like this? You agreed to come here and the most you’ve said to me whenever I saw you was grunts,” Finn sighed. The bed creaked as Finn sat down. He looked tired, like those days when Slip would mess up on a sim and he’d have to drag him and his team to a victory.

“Kylo,” Finn started again, “Maybe this was a mistake,” he whispered.

“And what do you mean by that? Do you regret leaving with that pilot and becoming a traitor?” Kylo sneered.

“No, never. I regret...nevermind.”

“Oh no, finish that sentence. Say it, say you hate me and you rather go fuck Dameron!” Kylo turned, his mouth pulled in a snarl, “Or do men no longer strike your fancy? Do you miss that scavenger for more reasons than you let on? Or maybe you just took pity on an old woman who-” Kylo saw it coming but he did nothing to stop the punch that landed on his face. Some part of him registered the ache in his jaw and the blood on his lip but he the shock that Finn actually hit him numbed his pain.

Speaking of Finn, his face was deadly. As cold as in Kylo’s dreams. But his eyes, his eyes were still soft, still warm like his hugs, like his light.

“I’m not apologising,” Kylo muttered as he watched Finn go to his desk.

“Didn’t expect you to,” Finn sighed. He touched the leaf of his Nalla leaf plant, rubbing it between his fingers. He was serene, like the last 30 seconds never happened. Kylo took a step towards him, waiting to see if he would react before making it to the desk in a few strides.

“I don’t want to lose you,” he whispered resting his chin on Finn’s broad shoulder.

“Saying rude things about the people I care about and hurting me doesn’t make me want to stay with you, ya know,” Finn turned around looking Kylo in the eye, “All I ask is you try. Please be tolerable and maybe you’ll see that this is the right thing to do.”

Kylo kept himself from outwardly scoffing at the notion. His love wasn’t versed in the ways of Republic hypocrisy nor the numerous failings of the Jedi but he didn’t have time for a lecture.

“You tried to leave me, was that the right thing to do? Did you even consider my feelings when you ran away with that pilot,” Kylo gripped the leather of Fi- Poe’s jacket, as he fought Finn to remove it. It wasn’t much of a fight as Finn simply let him take the offending garment off and cast it on top of the desk.

“Of course I did, but I couldn’t stay there knowing what the Order was doing was wrong Kylo!”

“You didn’t have to do it! One word and I would have pulled you from service, you could have been my consort! You insisted on staying in the ranks for that incompetent trooper,” Kylo’s jaw clicked shut when Finn’s face fell. He knew Slip was the lowest of all low hanging fruit and of all the things he could’ve said (he actually had a rather impressive analogy where he compared Dameron to a pile of bantha shit) he chose the one thing that would end the squabble with vicious effectiveness. The only problem…

“He was the closest thing I had to a friend, to a family and I lost him on Jakku. Do you know where his body is Kylo? Right. Where. He. Died.”

Finn slept in his old bunk that night.

                                                                                                      XX

 

Kylo frowned as he sat in the cushioned chair. General Organa’s office was not all the grand like Hux’s but where his big quarters made one feel small, but the tighter space made the general all the more intimidating.

Not that Kylo would admit it.

“I require your...assistance,” he drawled out, nose flaring in contempt when the poised woman tilted her head downward. A look that simply meant “uh huh, of course you do.”

“So you two had a fight-”

“It was a disagreement-”

“That ended with a punch to the face,” Kylo stopped his hand from reaching to the bruise on his jawline.

“What did you do?” Leila sighed sitting back in her seat, “And don’t say it’s not your fault, we both know Finn wouldn’t hit anyone unprovoked.” If she expected some drawn out tale then she had another thing coming.

“I said something. He punched me. I said something else and he got mad and left. That’s all your getting,” the feeling of the Force feeling around the edges of his mind where not new but being powerless to stop it was. It was like hands on his body that couldn’t be slapped off. He cringed as it just stayed there, lounging back like the woman before him.

“So are you going to tell me yourself, or may I take a look?” Kylo knew he could say no to both, she’d never invade his mind. But it had been two days and even though Finn’s record for avoiding him was three, he was tired of waiting for his love to come running back to make amends. So instead he turned away in defiance, a subtle go ahead for her to look.

After a few tense moments of his mind being poked around in he almost jumped back when he heard his mother laugh. A hearty sound that he hadn’t heard in years.

“Are you trying to make him hate you Ben? If this is how you’ve been treating him all along,  I’m surprised he didn’t run sooner,” she chuckled.

Kylo growled, “I didn’t come here to be a source of entertainment. Tell me how to fix this now!” Oh how he hated that look, the one that said “Ben sweetheart, you already know the answer,” the one she’d give him when he asked “stupid questions”.

“You know what to do. Drop your pride, pull up your big boy pants, and apologise to Finn. He loves you, but if you chase him away too much one day he’ll stop coming back. You’re angry because he left you, driving him away like that will only show him how right he was,” She said lifting her cup of caf to her lips, hiding her growing smile behind it, “He’s very fond of jogan fruit.”

                                                                                                     XX

Kylo put the last touches on the display, arranging the cut up fruit as though they were entering a Nightsister seance. Finn would be there any minute to water his plants, sit for a minute in silence then leave to spend time with Poe and that mechanic Rose. He sprayed the black lily and everlily seedlings smiling fondly at the memory of when he gave Finn the seeds. He remembered how interested in plants Finn was, how he’d read the Galactic Flora holomanual over and over again memorising everything from plant names to their uses to growing seasons.

The door opened as he sprayed the Nalla leaves that Finn was especially fond of. The silky feeling leaves was the top reason Finn favoured them. Taking time to trace the lines of the leaf, Kylo stepped away from the desk when he felt Finn hovering around him, to reveal his surprise.

He smirked as his lover’s eyes widened and a small smile tried to make an appearance on his lips. Finn looked at him as he slowly picked up a wedge of the fruit, his eyes narrowing. As he bit into it his eyes closed, the flavour exploding in his mouth, a bit of the violet juice dripping down his chin. Before he could stop himself, Kylo reached forward to wipe it off. Finn’s skin was warm and smooth like the decorative stones in vase in Hux’s office. He never did understand the aesthetic but they were fun to throw at the general when he went on and on about glory and victory and whatever else he’s rant about with that weird look of his face.

His hand slid up to cup Finn’s face, his other hand resting on his wide hip. Their foreheads touched as Kylo leaned down, pressing them together. Their eyes locked, emotions swirling in their caf coloured eyes that entrapped them. Finn took a step back, breaking the short trance.

“Senator Amidala, are you familiar with her? She was the youngest ever Queen of Naboo and later became a senator. She was courageous, beautiful, and kind. She stood for what she thought was right, and loved with all her heart. You remind me of her, in many ways,” Kylo said taking steps towards Finn. He grasped the others hand in his and brought it under his shirt to rest over his heart. His own hand traveled to the same place on Finn’s body.

“She sounds like a great woman,” Finn said shuddering. His heartbeat was erratic under Kylo’s hand.

“She was. Do you know who her husband was?” Kylo locked their eyes again as he paused. They stood in tense silence as Finn’s heart calmed to match his own slow beat. They removed their hands from each other’s chest as Kylo pushed Finn back into the wall. Their lips met with violent force, tongue and teeth mixing into the fray.

Kylo pulled back panting heavily as he quickly took in the sight of slightly bruised lips and moved his lips to attack Finn’s neck with a new barrage of kisses and bites. Moans and mewls poured out of parted lips as Kylo bit down leaving what would turn into a very apparent love bite. He raised his head licking his lips before placing another kiss on Finn’s lips.

“Who is it?”

“Huh?”

“Senator Amidala’s husband, you didn’t say,” Finn frowned, his hand coming up to feel the damage done on his neck.

Kylo shrugged, “Doesn’t matter. What matters more is what we’re doing now,” he smiled, wrapping his arms around Finn’s waist.

“Kylo… can you promise me something?” Finn asked. Kylo wanted to groan, the loth cat eyes were back, Finn’s secret weapon, “Please don’t make me choose. Between you and my friends.”

Kylo sighed, instead pulling Finn into a hug, “I’ll never try to purposely hurt them as long as you still want to be here.”

“And if I want to be here forever?”

Kylo didn’t answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry these updates take a while, I started college and things have been a bit hectic. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, leave a kudos and a comment if you wanna! <3

**Author's Note:**

> I like this ship and I couldn't get this idea out of my head so here it is. There's more chapters on the way. Thanks for reading!


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